I am a mother of two amazing children, sister to six siblings, daughter
to parents who's love is unyielding.

I was born in Kingston, Jamaica, September 15, 1965. I attended high
school and commercial college there and did my major in Business and
Accounting. After college I managed a family owned business for many years. My
parents and siblings migrated to the United States in 1986, but I stayed in
Jamaica. I finally migrated with my family to the United States in 2000, and I
am currently residing in South Florida.

My passion for writing began as a teenager with poetry, of which I also
have a collection of unpublished poems. Yet my desire to write and
publish a book far exceeded the desire to write poetry. I started working on my
novelette about three years ago, and then took a break for about two years as a
result of some life issues.

I took the pen up again about six months ago, and committed myself to
finishing what I started, thus The Mark of a man. Based in Jamaica, it introduces
the Hills of Hellshire, where our heroine, Maggie lives. A story of her
life, of her two children Megan and Mark Jr., and of course, of Mark, her
husband.

The Mark of a man is about family and love, but mostly about freedom. It
was written as a fiction, as non of the situations are real or has happened,
but it was not hard to write fiction with so much truth. It is about being
free... to live freely, not having to watch your back... freedom to love
and be loved, freedom to choose and define our lives. Not to live in fear of
another person or situation. It is about the need to be a free spirit as we
were all meant to be, so ultimately we can be at peace.

The perceptions of our mind governs our actions and thoughts and also
guides our pens. Personally, my mind runs free and incessantly, making way for
you my reader to enjoy the twist and turns, the suspense, and the truths... at
the end you will want more.

And you will, in Book two
" The Mark of the beast".

With gratitude,

Sonia V Singh

To my Readers . . .

First
let me express my gratitude to you for sharing this experience with me. And
that is what it was for me. I enjoyed writing this so much and felt every
emotion, I felt every physical interaction and every sexual connection.

As
you enter these first few pages you are going to be angry, your eyes are going
to brim with tears at the words that meet your gaze and your mind's
eye is going to reflect upon...someone. She will come to your mind, a friend
maybe or even a family member. Maybe your mother or even a sister. With my
someone, you are going to make a connection.

As
I share my someone with you, let's call her Maggie, you will see my
inhibitions fall further and further away, through my words you
will travel with Maggie to places where you will cry tears of joy and scream
angrily at life. You will become Maggie's ally, she will touch your
soul, and you will fall in love...and hurt for her. You will admire her
strength, her boldness, her perseverance and her unwillingness to
stop fighting for her family. You will want to be everywhere with her, you will
want to protect her, love her and free her.

Yes,
this will happen because this story is real. It is what we see everyday in
society, in our families and in our homes. And change begins exactly there, in
our homes, where we teach our children to love and cherish, to speak up and
speak out and last but not least, to respect every living creature.

Thank
you again, and I look forward to sharing the sequel "The Mark of the
Beast" with you. Where you will see Mark reemerge, going after Maggie
and again, turning her life upside down. He will display his true characters
and again she will fight for her life, her family, and her freedom.

With Gratitude,

Sonia Valencia Singh

Foreword

When
she wrote The Mark of a man, Sonia Singh wanted to tell a serious story about
domestic abuse, but also wanted to make it as interesting as possible. She
wanted to open the readers’ eyes to the range of possibilities that can
constitute the reasons for abuse, as well as the importance of doing your
homework before entering romantic relationships, and of not losing your sense
of identity when you do.

How
close to home is the story of her heroine, and how much of it is merely
imagined or taken from the authors observation of other people? As she invites
you to follow the struggles and triumphs of her heroine, you be the judge.

I met
her several years ago, and thanks to Facebook, we have kept in touch over the
years. When I read the first few chapters back in 2009, I gave her my honest
opinion, "keep working on it, it’s good, but don't quit your day job till
it’s published." I am now happy and proud that she is now officially a
published author, and I’m sure this is only the start of her literary career.

Tony
Morrison

(former
journalist and communications specialist)

a sneak peek

He was pissed. How dare Maggie
defy him? Didn't she realize there was no getting away from him?
“Leave her alone” it was Mark speaking. “You have been hurting her too
long.” I have begged you over and over again to leave her alone. All
these years, and now I’ve lost her because of you. ”Because of me, you pathetic
fool. If it wasn't for me she would have walked all over you. THEY
would have walked all over you. I was the one who stood up to them. I was the
one who fought for you. All those women who wanted to use you and steal your
money. SHE would have taken you for all you had if it wasn't for me.”
“But I love her, and she didn't need my money, she had her
own.” Mark spoke with a tiny voice, almost whiny. “She used you to
get where she is. That’s why I have to stop her. She’s going to get everything you've worked
for if I don’t. I’m going to fix her good”.

Mark shuddered. His alter ego was
stronger. He had been controlling Mark since he was a teenager and had not
allowed anyone to see him. Not even Doctor Jared, his psychiatrist knew he
existed. The women he abused felt him. They felt him each time he hit or
strangled or raped them. Maggie felt him too. Oh how he loved when she
was feeling him. She was the best yet. That’s why he couldn’t let her go.
She never fought him, not like the others.